UK Prudential Regulation Authority Publishes Final Rules For Buy-Outs Of Variable Remuneration

On September 28, 2016, the PRA published a Policy Statement and final rules on buy-outs of deferred variable remuneration, i.e., where a firm compensates a new employee for deferred variable remuneration not received from a previous employer due to the employee having left the former firm. Current compensation rules, which seek to encourage greater alignment between risk and reward, as well as more effective risk management, allow employers to withhold or reduce unpaid or unvested awards (i.e., the "malus" rules) or recoup paid or vested awards (i.e., the "clawback" rules). The PRA is concerned that the practice of buy-outs could undermine these rules as employees could evade accountability for their actions during a previous employment by moving to a new employer who buys out their cancelled deferred remuneration.